Group: investigate primate lab deaths, injuries

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NEW ORLEANS - An animal rights group wants a federal investigation of chimpanzee and monkey deaths and injuries since late 2012 at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Tulane University. Stop Animal Exploitation Now says Louisiana-Lafayette should be fined $60,000 and Tulane $10,000.

On Thursday, the group released its letters and the universities' reports about the incidents.

Those are the death of a rhesus monkey in 2012 at Tulane and, at Louisiana-Lafayette, injuries to three Africican green monkeys and the deaths of two chimpanzees in 2012 and a baby rhesus monkey in 2013.

According to the reports, a Louisiana-Lafayette worker who injured the monkeys was fired and Tulane changed primate handling procedures.

Spokesmen said the universities were working on responses to the organization.